Review of Head Trauma (2006) by David S — 03 Mar 2008

Lance Weiler, director of the cult classic "The Last Broadcast", wrote and directed this little gem that's a surprisingly accomplished work considering its *very* low budget. The narrative is admittedly derivative of other works ("The Machinist" and "The Tenant" spring to mind) but regardless it's still well constructed with a strong sense of mystery and a conclusion that makes sense of all its more surreal and ambiguous moments - no threads are left hanging, resulting in a very tight and focused feature.

The acting it admittedly weak as Weiler had to use whatever actors willing to work for, well, nothing, but they are still efficient enough to carry the film to the end. The direction, however, is probably the strongest aspect as Weiler is able to create some truly creepy and frightening imagery - imagery that's more effective than most big-budgeted films - and create a potent atmosphere of dread.

This is recommended to all thriller aficionados alike - it may not be original but it is very effective. I would also give a higher recommendation to those interested in low-budget independent filmmaking as it's truly impressive and inspirational to see what can be done on such a minuscule budget.